Best SaaS and startup directories to submit to in 2026

All 371 AI tool directories, rankedThe big catalogs, the free ones that still give a followed link, and the agent directories.

All 419 free dofollow directories, ranked by DRThe full list on its own page, split into DR bands, with how to check a link before you count it.

In October 2026 we checked by hand which link 38 high-DR directories give a listing. Read the write-up on Medium.

Counted from the full list below. DR = Domain Rating by Ahrefs, last refreshed November 7, 2026.

DR = Domain Rating by Ahrefs, last refreshed November 7, 2026. Check any domain with the free DR checker.

1. Write the listing once

   Product name, a tagline of 60 characters or less, a one-line description, a longer one of 400 to 600 characters, your URL without tracking parameters, a square logo, two or three screenshots, three to five categories and your pricing. Keep it all in one document. Most forms ask for the same fields, so every submission after the first is a paste. Our step-by-step guide to submitting a SaaS covers each field and what reviewers check.

2. Make the shortlist

   Start from the free dofollow list, keep the highest DR and cut anything that doesn't fit your category. Add the review sites if you sell to businesses. The 25 to 40 left are your real to-do list.

3. Start the slow ones first, then work down by DR

   Review sites and curated directories check every listing by hand, so submit to them first. Then work down the shortlist in sessions of five to ten forms. Before you pay for a listing, open a live one on the same site and inspect the link to the product: rel="nofollow", "ugc" or "sponsored" means it passes no ranking signal, whatever the pricing page says.

4. Track every submission

   Keep a sheet with the directory, date, status, link type and the URL of the live listing. It stops double submissions. Check the pending ones after a week: many directories send a verification email or ask for one more detail, and the listing never goes live if you miss it.

5. Check what worked after a month

   Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (free) shows new referring domains, Search Console shows impressions, and your analytics show which directories send visitors. Every quarter, update your listings when you ship something new and add the directories that launched since.

Rather not fill in the forms yourself? Our directory submission service submits your product to 100 to 270 directories, from $99, high-DR sites first, and emails you a report of every submission, its status and a screenshot.

Templates to fill in once

Keep the product name and URL identical everywhere; vary the first line per audience.

High DR, no search traffic

DR can be bought. A DR 80 site that gets almost no organic traffic has probably bought its links.

Listings missing from Google

Search site:thedirectory.com plus the name of a product it lists. If individual listings don't show up, a link from one won't help you.

Instant approval

A real directory reviews what gets submitted. If you are live seconds after hitting submit, nobody is checking anything, including the spam next to you.

Badge swaps

Some directories list you for free only if you link back with their badge. That is a reciprocal link: fine in small numbers, but it isn't free, and a site built on nothing else is a link scheme.

About the data: the list started as 2,972 domains. An automated check removed 568 that were dead, broken or not directories, and a row-by-row review removed 738 more: link farms, news sites, company pages, social networks and articles that only list other directories, leaving 1,667. Where all 1,306 went. DR is Ahrefs Domain Rating, last refreshed November 7, 2026. Link type comes from a live listing wherever one was checked.

What is directory submission?

Listing your product on sites that catalog software: launch platforms, review sites, discovery and alternatives sites. Each accepted listing can give you a backlink, a page that keeps sending visitors, and a place in front of people already comparing tools. Done on real, indexed directories it still works in 2026. Done as "submit to 500 sites" it does nothing, or worse.

Do directory backlinks still help SEO in 2026?

Yes, when the directory is a real site that Google indexes and the link on your listing is dofollow. A dofollow link from a strong directory passes ranking signal to your domain, and a directory that ranks for its own category searches sends visitors on top. Link farms and abandoned directories do nothing for you, and a pile of them can look like a link scheme.

How many directories should I submit to?

Twenty to forty relevant ones, not all of them. Ten strong, relevant dofollow links do more than a hundred from thin directories, and DR is logarithmic, so every point takes more work than the last.

What counts as a high-DR directory?

We draw the line at DR 70. Above it, a single dofollow link is worth real effort, and 237 of the directories we track clear it. Relevance still counts: a DR 40 directory built for your niche can beat a DR 80 one that nobody in your market visits.

Which SaaS directories are free and dofollow?

418 of the directories we track are both. The general ones to do first are SaaSHub, Fazier, Startup Fame and Microlaunch. Some of them also want a badge back. All 418, ranked by DR, are on our free dofollow directories page.

What is the difference between a dofollow and a nofollow link?

A dofollow link passes ranking signal to your site and can lift your Domain Rating. A nofollow link (rel="nofollow", "ugc" or "sponsored") doesn't, but it still sends visitors. Product Hunt, Hacker News and AlternativeTo are nofollow and still worth doing for the traffic. For link building, only dofollow counts.

Are paid directory listings worth it?

Sometimes. Pay when the directory has real authority, the link on your listing is dofollow and permanent, and its audience matches your buyers. If a site wants money for a nofollow link on a weak domain, skip it.

Should I use an automated directory submission service?

Usually not. Bulk submitters push your URL onto hundreds of sites nobody visits, many of them link farms, and the result can look manipulative. With the copy prepared once, manual submission to a 30-site shortlist is an afternoon. If you do hand it off, ask for the exact list of sites before you pay.

Can I use the same description on every directory?

You can, but it costs you. Moderators reject copy that reads like it was pasted into fifty forms, and identical text across dozens of pages gives search engines nothing new to index. Keep one base description and rewrite the first line for each audience.

How long before directory links show up?

Search engines have to recrawl the listing first. A new referring domain often shows up in Ahrefs within a few weeks; any effect on rankings takes longer and depends on the rest of your site. Track referral visits and new referring domains per directory, so you can see which ones were worth it.

Do directory listings help me show up in ChatGPT or Perplexity answers?

Indirectly. AI assistants that search the web cite pages that already rank, and review sites, alternatives pages and big directories rank for exactly the "best tool for X" questions people ask. Being listed there puts your product in the pages those answers are built from. Nobody can guarantee a citation, and anyone selling one is selling a link farm.